Canon EOS 30D

Pre-PMA 2006: Canon has today announced the EOS 30D, a mild evolution of the EOS 20D. Headline changes are a subtly redesigned body, spot metering, selectable continuous shooting speed, 100,000 shutter cycle life, a larger LCD monitor and the expected switch from simple image parameters to Canon's preferred PictureStyles. From an imaging pipeline point of view this camera has the same sensor and image processor and the default PictureStyle matches the EOS 20D's default image parameters (hence expect exactly the same imaging performance). Good news also comes in the form of a slightly lower price than the EOS 20D. We're just waiting for the name confusion to begin, it's not the six year old Canon EOS D30.

Phil: Apologies to our readers, despite its earlier leak on the web we had to hold this news to its given embargo timing of 1100 GMT.

ISO speed shown in viewfinder as you change it (still not once changed though)

Selectable 5 or 3 fps continuous shooting

PictureStyles instead of simple image parameters

9,999 images per folder (instead of 100 as per the EOS 20D)

15 menu languages (3 new)

Press Release:

Canon upgrades best selling EOS 20D

Amstelveen, The Netherlands, 21 February, 2006: Canon today announces the EOS 30D, replacing the award winning EOS 20D. Retaining the 5fps, 8.2 Megapixel performance of its predecessor, the upgraded camera enjoys a larger, wider viewing angle 2.5” LCD, extended 100,000 shutter cycle durability, spot metering, and a variety of refinements designed to enhance the photographic experience. Targeted at an increasingly discerning population of serious creative photographers, the EOS 30D replaces a camera that already claims a significant share of the Western Europe D-SLR market, which grew by 120% in the last 12 months*1.

EOS 30D body only €1,399
EOS 30D and EF-S 18-55mm lens €1,499

The EOS 30D features

8.2 Megapixel APS-C size CMOS sensor

5 fps and 30 large JPEG frame burst

2.5”, 230K pixel, 170º wide viewing angle LCD screen

Picture Style image processing parameters

Spot metering and High Precision 9-point AF system

DIGIC II image processor with 0.15 sec start-up time

Digital Photo Professional RAW processing software

100,000 cycle shutter durability and rugged magnesium alloy body

Simultaneous RAW and JPEG recording

Wide 100-3200 ISO range

E-TTL II Flash

PictBridge compatibility

Complete compatibility with all Canon EF and EF-S lenses and EX-series Speedlites

USB 2.0 Hi-Speed and Video Out connectivity

“A rapidly expanding population of serious and semi-commercial creative photographers is helping drive EOS growth,” said Mogens Jensen, Head of Canon Consumer Imaging Europe. “As well as putting many high-end pro features into their hands, the EOS 30D becomes a launching pad into the world’s most comprehensive interchangeable lens system and huge range of flash units and accessories.”

Improved performance

Many improvements over the EOS 20D are made in response to EOS 20D owner feedback. Along with the larger screen, improved durability and 3.5% area spot metering, these include Canon’s Picture Style pre-sets, Canon’s in-camera image processing standard. Picture Styles can be likened to selectable film types for different photographic expression (see appendix ‘Technologies Explained’). Frame rate is selectable between 5 and 3fps and photographers are given finer control over exposure, with ISO settings now adjustable by 1/3 stop increments rather than whole stops. A Print/Share button is included and the camera features new advanced PictBridge functionality . The maximum number of images in a folder is increased from 100 to 9,999, while the in-built flash has been upgraded to match the 100,000 shutter cycle durability, an increasingly important feature in the digital age.

Speed and image quality

The EOS 30D features Canon’s award winning CMOS sensor technology, with large 6.4µm2 pixels for wide dynamic range with low noise. Any remaining fixed pattern and random noise is dealt with by on-chip noise elimination circuitry. A low-pass filter in front of the sensor reduces false colour and moiré effects, while an infrared filter suppresses red fringing caused by sensor reflections and fog. The camera features Canon’s DIGIC II processor now found across the digital EOS range. DIGIC II maximises speed and image quality by processing uncompromisingly complex colour rendition algorithms, clearing the buffer at high speed. (For more on CMOS and DIGIC II, see appendix ‘Technologies Explained).

EOS: The system

One of the EOS 30D’s greatest advantages is the EOS system: compatibility with all Canon EF and EF-S lenses, EX-series Speedlites and EOS accessories such as the Wireless File Transmitter WFT-E1. The EOS 30D’s EF-S lens mount allows connection to Canon’s range of lighter and wider angle lenses, including the new wide aperture EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM standard zoom lens. Indicative of Canon’s commitment to lens development is the release today of the exceptionally fast EF 85mm f/1.2L II USM, for low light and extremely narrow depth of field photography. For high-speed processing of lossless RAW images and complete capture-to-print workflow management, the EOS 30D also comes with Canon’s latest Digital Photo Professional software (see appendix ‘Technologies Explained).

Battery grip

To extend the EOS 30D’s 750 shot *2 battery life and increase handling options, the camera is compatible with the BG-E2 battery grip. The BG-E2 takes two
Lithium-Ion battery packs for up to 2,200 *3 frames or six AA batteries *4 in the supplied BGM-E2 battery magazine. For easy vertical shooting, the BG-E2 provides additional shutter release, main dial, AE lock/FE lock and AF point selection controls.

*1 GfK, EU11, 12 months until Nov 05, year on year
*2 According to tests carried out under CIPA industry standard test conditions
*3 When shooting at 20° without flash
*4 Shooting capacity with AA batteries is lower when compared with the Battery Pack BP-511A. See specifications for battery type compatibility
*5 CANON iMAGE GATEWAY is not available in all European countries, please see www.cig.canon-europe.com for available countries

Technologies Explained

Picture Style

Picture Style pre-sets simplify in-camera control over image quality. Picture Style pre-sets can be likened to different film types – each one offering a different colour response. Within each easily selectable pre-set, photographers have control over sharpness, contrast, colour tone and saturation. The camera’s factory default configuration is set to deliver immediately-usable JPEG images without need for additional menu settings. Picture Style presets applied to a RAW image do not degrade the image in any way and can be revised with Canon’s Digital Photo Professional software.

The six pre-sets include: Standard – for crisp, vivid images that don’t require post-processing; Portrait – optimises colour tone and saturation and weakens sharpening to achieve attractive skin tones; Landscape – for punchier greens and blues with stronger sharpening to give a crisp edge to mountain, tree and building outlines); Neutral – ideal for post-processing; Faithful – adjusts colour to match the subject colour when shot under a colour temperature of 5200K; Monochrome – for black and white shooting with a range of filter effects (yellow, orange, red and green) and toning effects (sepia, blue, purple and green). The User Defined pre-set can be used to store up to three customised pre-sets, or any of the pre-sets available for download from Canon’s web site.

DIGIC II

Now found across the EOS range, DIGIC II is a purpose built, dedicated image processor responsible for the high speed calculations necessary in order to providing exceptionally accurate colour reproduction in real time. Canon’s second generation imaging engine, DIGIC II performs the duties of a number of separate processing units to speed processing, save space, and optimise battery life.

To avoid the trade off faced by other manufacturers between camera responsiveness and image quality, Canon has created a processor so fast it can read, process, compress and write image data back to the buffer between exposures. This allows for longer continuous bursts at maximum frame rates before the buffer fills. Moreover, each image can be subjected to the full complex processing algorithms required in order to deliver superb image quality.

CMOS

Canon’s award winning CMOS technology is one of the company’s key competitive advantages. With noise reduction circuitry at each pixel site, Canon’s CMOS sensors have lower noise and lower power consumption characteristics than CCD sensors.

CCD sensors use a bucket relay system to transfer each pixel’s accumulated electrical charge to a corresponding gutter. The operation is time consuming and draws considerable power, which limits battery life and generates unwanted heat, further increasing noise and lowering image quality.

By contrast, signal conversion in Canon’s CMOS sensors is handled by the individual amplifiers at each pixel site. Unnecessary charge transfer operations are avoided, vastly speeding up the process of getting signal to the image processor. Noise generation is reduced and power consumption limited.

Digital Photo Professional Software

Digital Photo Professional software provides high-speed processing of lossless RAW images. Processing with Digital Photo Professional allows real-time display and immediate application of image adjustments, giving control over RAW image variables such as white balance, dynamic range, exposure compensation and colour tone. The camera JPEG images can be recorded in sRGB or Adobe RGB colour space, and the Digital Photo Professional application supports sRGB, Adobe RGB and Wide Gamut RGB colour spaces. An ICC (International Colour Consortium) profile attaches automatically to RAW images converted to TIFF or JPEG images. This allows faithful reproduction of colours in software applications that support ICC profiles, such as Adobe Photoshop. For improved efficiency, a set of image adjustments can be saved as a reciepe and applied to multiple images.

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